Builders have left my drain blocked

[Intsywintsyspider]

i’ve had builders replacing the render at my front basement area (we have steps down to a lower front door).
I noticed that the drain was blocked a few days ago and gave them spirit of salts that I’d bought for inside but realised it was for external use only. I’d never used it as I’ve never had a problem with the drain.
it worked then but it’s now blocked again.

They’re saying it’s not their problem and I need to get the drains professionally cleaned.

AIBU to withhold payment to the amount of the professional drain clean or should I split the cost 50/50 with them.
or should I pay and accept it’s just the way things are?

Can you prove it was definitely the builders? If not, you cannot withhold payment.

Unless you can prove the builders blocked the drain, I'm not sure there's anything you can do about it.

You haven't said what it is blocked with or how you know the builders caused it.

It is easier for builders to shove waste down the drain while working

No, sadly not. Only even with the crazy incessant rain we’ve had recently it has never overflowed like it is now.

i guess I’ll have to suck it up

They’ve been removing render and sanding and there’s been a lot of dust. I’m assuming too much went down the drain and blocked if.

i don’t know 100% they caused it but I know it wasn’t blocked before

Sounds like it probably was the builders, but unfortunately rather difficult to challenge their denial.
btw - 'I'll have to suck it up' - no, just get a drain company in 🤔😉😜

Some much needed light humour, thank you ☺️

Maybe you can buy or borrow some drain rods to see if it will shift the blockage, before paying lots for a drain company.

Some builders can be a tad careless...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-55143373

All I’m going to say is don’t sit on this while you decide. Now it is easy to clean the render from the drain, in a few days it won’t be. DH had to do this after our neighbour blocked our drain doing work, it is no fun.

Take the lid off it and clean the trap simple!

Can you lift the manhole covers and see what is happening, if there is obvious builders rubbish in there you may be able to get it out yourself. It shouldn't be foul just unpleasant, wear gloves!

What a bunch of numpties!

I did have some success with a skip lorry that knocked my wall down. And then stacked the loose bricks up in the hope i wouldnt notice. My builder denied responsibility, then stated he had called the skip company and they had also denied it. Obviously his subcontractor, his problem.

Being face to face helped. I pointed out that the bricks didnt magically pick themselves up and stack themselves up, and obviously it would not have been like that before. The wall was right by my front door and a huge hazard.

Being coldly furious and stating facts helped, as well as pointing out the obvious liability issues if the loose bricks fell on my small child.

Wall was fixed in 2 hours flat.

In your case, if you have money to withhold I would give them the choice of sorting it themselves or having the cost deducted from the amount owed. And then just do it. Obviously the drain was fine previously. You can't prove a negative or prove the dust caused it but it's the obvious answer.

They are unlikely to take you to small claims for a couple of hundred quid.

Thank you. Any tips in case I can’t get any (I don’t have a car). Am asking my neighbours but wondered if anything ekse could work.
I have long bamboo sticks 🧐

What type of drain is it (kitchen sink or downpipe with rainwater) you did say you’d recently bought drain unblocker….were drain contents already not running away properly?
How close is drain to the area of recent builders works? builders would have to be downright barmy to deliberately block a customers drain?

I think flexibility is required due to bends in pipes, but if the blockage is close you could try.

Don't suppose you have a pressure washer? You could cautiously try that perhaps, with goggles for eye safety. I'm sure we got a drain cleaning adapter for our pressure washer years ago.

Thank you. I took your advice and went out with my marigolds, a brush and a screw driver.
The builders were shamed into taking over but the drain cover is cemented down and even though we tried to clear it with long bamboo poles (no drain rods available) it only went down 1/2 and inch.

i think I’ll have to get the professionals in.

It’s an outside drain near a downpour for rain water.
i had bought drain unblocked 6 months ago - spirit of salts for an indoor blocked sink, but when I read the instructions it wasn’t suitable for indoor use so I’d never used it.
it’s literally in the small area that they were tanking and replastering. I’ll try and add an image.
They have renovated all the white walls in the pic

They've hosed all their mess and blocked the drain.

Get a company in and they'll camera it and fix it. If it's the builders they should then pay.

Get a drain company out with the cameras and see what it’s blocked with. If it’s their building crap they need to pay!

The photos of the drain/ area were not what I expected. I can see why you suspect the builders!